How tackling tribology in SA could save energy
Engine and machinery friction is expensive, but there are new technologies that could cut industry’s costs, writes Tony Carnie
Tribology has nothing to do with the study of remote tribes. Rather, it is something that could help local motorists and businesses save nearly 18-million litres of petrol each year and potentially billions of rands in other energy costs, according to a panel of experts in a new study by the Academy of Science of SA. SA’s energy consumption is about twice the international average, yet it lags many others in implementing efficiencies. The word tribology is derived from the classic Greek verb "tribo" (meaning "I rub") and is the study of friction, the killer of smooth mechanical efficiency. In 1493, Leonardo da Vinci was one of the first scientists to study the laws of friction, but the word tribology only gained traction about 50 years ago when the British mechanical engineer, Peter Jost, published a report that highlighted the massive cost to the UK economy of friction, wear and corrosion. The Jost Report of 1966 led to the formation of tribology societies and associations across t...
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